MHC architectural plans could be in the works By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle The Brown County Human Services Committee approved a resolution authorizing an engineering and design planning process for the proposed renovation of the county's Mental Health Center. The resolution will be discussed by the entire County Board during a special meeting Sept. 29. The renovation and design process, expected to cost at least $12 million, would meet goals set forth by a blue-ribbon task force established to create a plan for the aging facility. Its recommendations were to reduce the center's capacity from 173 patients to a 100-bed facility while fulfilling current code requirements. Before passing the resolution, some supervisors criticized the pace of the decision and lack of information needed to make an educated determination. Sup. Steve Fewell said there is not enough information to determine whether the facility will serve the growing population of the county. He said a 100-bed facility is not big enough, especially when there has been no discussion with private providers to see whether they would be able to accommodate individuals who require special services and for whom there is not space available in the MHC. Sup. Pat Collins, although not a committee member, participated in the discussion. He said when the full board is asked to vote on approving the design process for renovation, he could not support it. The county does not have details about the operational costs of the facility or the types of services the renovated facility would house, he said. Human Services Director Dr. Allen Parks said the programs provided by the MHC - psychiatric services, services for people with disabilities and long-term nursing care - are known. Further details about programming, including the MHC's revenue, depend on having construction plans for the facility, he said. Brown County Executive Carol Kelso said she is confident the general concept of the facility will meet the county's needs and will improve the care individuals receive. Sup. Michael Frohna motioned to amend the resolution to clarify that the renovation plans meet the "specifications and programmatic needs of the county served." With the amendment, the resolution was unanimously passed. The County Board will vote on the resolution to invest in engineering and design plans at a 7 p.m. Sept. 29 special meeting. The alternative to renovation is building a new facility. Collins advocated a new facility conducive to future expansions be built. Dan Kraus, an architect with Raasch and Associates, which conducted a 2004 study of the center's possible renovation, estimated a new facility would cost at least $20 million to $22 million. The current facility is structurally sound, he said. The plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and fire protection and electrical systems would all be replaced with new equipment, which can reduce the amount of surprise expenses that can accompany the renovations of old buildings; the MHC was built in 1967. A former County Board supervisor, Mary Marquardt, asked supervisors to read a study that she said has slipped off the radar of government meetings. The Facilities Master Plan Subcommittee, a branch of the Administration Committee, developed a plan to change the functions of some of the county's buildings in an effort to save money. Part of the study explored converting the MHC into an office building. Marquardt said it would be less expensive to renovate the MHC into an office building and relieve the county of renting office space for county employees. Money saved on rent could be put toward other projects, she said. The blue-ribbon task force focused on the MHC without taking into account how changes in building use on a larger scale could be more cost-effective for the vounty, she said. "Sept. 29 is not a drop-dead date. You need to have all of the information," she said to the committee. In other business, the Brown County Health Department's director, Judy Friederichs, said the number of whooping cough cases has reached epidemic levels in Wisconsin and in Brown County. So far in 2004, there have been 49 confirmed cases of whooping cough in the county, she said. More suspected whooping cough cases are being investigated. In addition to cases of whooping cough, tuberculosis cases are high. There have been eight cases in 2004, whereas Brown County averages two each year.